Day 33: Dinner

Tofu vs. Ricotta: The Final Showdown

Round 1: Calories (per 3 oz. serving)

Tofu, 117; Ricotta, 117 (Dead even! Wow!)

Round 2: Total Fat

Tofu, 7.1 grams; Ricotta, 6.6 grams (Ricotta wins, but just barely)

Round 3: Saturated Fat

Tofu, 1 gram; Ricotta, 4.2 grams (It's a bloodbath!)

Round 4: Dietary Fiber

Tofu, 1.9 grams; Ricotta, 0 grams

Round 5: Cholesterol

Tofu, 0 mg; Ricotta, 9 mg

Round 6: Protein

Tofu, 12.8 grams; Ricotta, 9.6 grams

Round 7: Calcium

Tofu, 55% RDA; Ricotta, 24% RDA

Round 8: Iron

Tofu, 12% RDA; Ricotta, 3% RDA

Before you say "I'm not making my grandma's recipes using THAT weird treehuggin' crap!" let me tell you: finely processed tofu is identical to ricotta in texture, flavor and substance. It's also a little healthier (who'da thunk tofu would have so much more calcium?) and it relieves you from the guilt of realizing that you just ate a lot of cheese. This manicotti was one of my biggest successes yet, and I now realize that my food processor was one of my best investments of all time.

I'm feeling inspired. Next week's battle: Tofu vs. Mascarpone. I'm itching to cook up a vegan tiramisu.

Here's the recipe. My advice is to add a little onion and garlic to the tofu mixture. Also, I boiled seven manicotti shells but only had enough to stuff five; if you're a big eater or cooking for a crowd, I'd advise you make more.

• About 5 manicotti shells
• 1/2 package firm tofu
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 package frozen spinach
• 16 oz. tomato sauce (jarred is okay)
• 4 oz. mozzarella flavored rice shreds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil manicotti shells until done. Set aside to cool.

3. Crumble tofu and add to food processor with olive oil and salt. Process until creamy.

4. Thaw spinach by running under hot water for a few seconds. Drain completely (give it a good squeeze) and add to food processor. Process until mixture is a pleasant green color.

5. Stuff mixture into manicotti shells. (This is a pain in the ass; if you have one, use one of those icing pipers and it will make the job much easier. I didn't, so I just used a spoon and my hands.)

6. Coat bottom of a casserole pan with tomato sauce. Place shells on top and cover with more sauce. Sprinkle rice shreds on top of sauce.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for about 20 minutes more, or until the cheese melts. Then enjoy!